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J R. HOUTS. PERMUTATION PADLOCK.

No. 593.,892. W Patented Nov. 16,189?.

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UNITED STATES P TENT Qwin&

JOHN R. I-IOUTS, OF WASI-IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO SAMUEL BRUCKHEIMER, OF SAME PLACE.

PERMUTATION-PADLOCK.

SPECIFICAIIN forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,892, dated November 16, 1897.

Application filed May 1896.

To all whom it may conoern:

- Be it known that I, JOHN R. HOUTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Permutation Looks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilied in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in permutation-locks; and the objects are to provide an eflcient and durable lock of few mechanical paris which will be suitable for general use and to make the opening and closing of said lock dependent upon the i knowledge of the proper combnation of the v rotary tumblers with which it is provided.

It consists, essentially, of an outer protective casing or lock-body, an inner latch-body containing all the mechanism, a latch carried by the said inner latch-body, and means for actuating the latch-body, whereby the latch will be' forced into and out of engagement with the part designed to receive it, and for looking the said inner latch-body in either po'- sition assumed by it. i

In the accompanying drawings, fully illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a sectional View of the lock, showing the parts in locked engagement. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the parts in the' position they assume when the latch is out of engagement. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the lock. Fig. 4: is a detail perspective View of the rotarytumblers and spindle. Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the lock, showing the same appled to the steering-post tube of a bicycle; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the application to a window-sash. v

Like numerals of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawngs.

In constructing my lock I form it in two main partsan outer protective casing or lock-body 1 and an inner movable latch-body 2. The outer casing or lock-body in form may be as shown in Figs, 1 and 2, with a cylindrical portion 3 and opposite flat inclosing sides 4: and provided interiorly with the angular partition 5, or it may be constructed of such shape as suits the exigencies of the use to which the lock is placed, the requirenent being that the casing shall conprise two flat sides, an angular side or partition, and an inclosing circular side. Within this space is inclosed the latch-body 2, and this is supplied with a latch or latch-bolt 6, adapted to engage with a hasp 7, pivotally attached to the outer casing l. This movable latch-body 2 is confined within the interior chamber or compartment formed by the smaller angle of the partition 5, and sufficient concentric movement is to be accorded the latch-body 2 to permit the complete disengagement of the latch 6 from the perforation 6 of the lock-hasp.

The latch-body 2 is preferably formed in two sections riveted or otherwise Secured together, as at 'Y 7 a 7 and journaled between them is a spindle or tunbler-shaft 8. It projects through a slot 9 in the oylindrical portion of the outer casing 1 and is provided a little distance from it with a dial lO. Interposed between this dial and the casing or lockbody 1 and Secured to a tubular shaft surrounding the spindle or shaft 8 is a second and larger dial 11. These dials are marked in a suitable manner for a purpose which will become more apparent from the description which is to follow.

The tubular shaft, which I will designate as 12, is of a length sufficient to carry the two tumblers 13, which said tumblers are spaced apart and keyed to the shaft. The shaft S is sufficiently longer than the tubular shaft 12 to carry the two tunblers 14, which are likew'ise spaced from each other`and from the first-named tumblers and are also keyed to their shaft. These tumblers 13 and let are approXimately of the same diameter and are provided with the notches 15, designed to register or be revolved into alinement with each other when the predetermined marks upon the two dials exactly register. As the dials 10 and ll may be provided with a large number of marks designed to be combined at pleasure, it is apparent that unless the correct combination is known the several notches cannot be alined without considerable ditliculty, and to decrease the possibility of the combination becoming known it is desirable thatthe dial 10 or the dial 11 be so mounted- IOO on its shaft that by the exertion of a certain amount of force it may be revolved any number of points on the said shaft, thus destroying the old conbination and creating a new.

The tumblers 13 and 14: are designed to interloek with a curved fence 16 at one end thereof, where the same is formed with teeth 17. hen the notches 15 of the several tumblers 13 and 14 are in exact alinement with each other and with the teeth 17 of the fence, the latter is at liberty to be actuated back and forth in the slot 18, in which it is seated.

At an angle to the slot 18 and leading into the same is a short curved slot 19, which is designed to receive a curved slidable bolt 20 of somewhat greater length than that of the slot. One end of this bolt rests against the partition 5, while the other projects into a curvature in the fence 16. This eurvature 21 conforn's to the curvature of the contiguous portion of the bolt 20, and the latter gradually seats itself therein and forces the fence 16 against the partition 5 when the latch-body 2 is moved in a direction to disengage the latch 6. It will be remembered, however, that such movement of the latch-body 2 is dependent upon the exact alinement of the notches of the several rotary tumblers and the teeth of the curved fence 16. hen in this position, (indieated in Fig. 2 of the drawings,) the alinement may be destroyed and the fence 16 again locked, thus preventing a locking of the hasp. By restoring the alinenent of the notches the latch-body 2 may be moved forward, the fence 16 returned to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, and the bolt 20 will then prevent the backward movement of the latch-body 2, provided, of course, the alinement of the notches in the tumblers is destroyed. In either position the fences when locked by the tumblers prevent the movement of the latch-body 2, which carries the latch.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings I have shown the lock applied to the steering-post tube of a bieycle. In this case I will construct the outer easing 1, as shown, with the side walls, the angnlar wall, and the cireular wall and will seat the same on the cross-tubing, to which and the steering-post tube it will be securely fastened by a clip or by rivets, and the latchbolt will engage with a recess 22, bored in the steering-post 23 of the bicycle, and it will be so Situated that the front wheel will be locked at an angle to the rear wheel, thns preventing the propulsion of the bicycle in a straight line and necessitating its carriage where larceny of the same is intended.

Fig. 6 illustrates an application of the lock to a window-sash. In this Construction I employ the same neehanism as in Fig. l, with the exception of the hasp. The formation of the outer casing in halves, one for the upper sash and the other for the lower, is the only difference. The upper-sash section is provided with a recess 24 to receive the latchbolt, and the lower-sash section carries the latch-body 2 and its meehanism for actuating the latch and loekin g it in its forward or rear position.

This com pletes the construction of my lock, and its operation will be fully apparent from the foregoing description.

I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of Construction herein shown and described nor to the formation or precise construetion of the outer casing, but reserve to myself the right and privilege to alter or change the same within the bounds of meehanical ingcnuity without departing from the spirit of the invention;

Having thns described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a lock of the character described, the combination with a lock-body, having an angular chamber, of a latch-body pivotally seated in the angle of said chamber, and adapted to be swung from wall to wall of said chamber, a latch borne by said latch-body, and designed to be moved; by the latch-body, into and out of engagement with the part to be locked, a reciprocating fence working in said latchbody, a bolt also working in said latch-body and engaging with said fence to secure the latch-body against either wall of the an gular chamber, and means for reciprocating said fence.

2. In a lock of the character described, the combination with a lock-body, having an angnlarehamber, of a lateh-bodypivotally seatedin the angle of said chamber, and adapted to be swung from wall to wall of said chamber, a latch borne by said latch-body, and designed to be moved by the latch-body, into and out of engagement with the part to be locked, a reciprocating fence working in said latchbody, a bolt also working or reciprocating in said latch-body and engaging with said fence, to secure the latch-body against either wall of the angular chamber, the tumbler-shaft provided with notched tumblers, engaging with the fence, the tnbular shaft fitting on said tumbler-shaft, having notched tumblers also engaging with the fence, and dials on the outer ends of the said shafts.

3. In a lock of the character described, the combination with a lock-body, having an angular chamber, of a latch-body pivotally seated in the angle of said chamber, and adapted to be swung from wall to wall of said chamber, a latch borne by said latch-body and designed to be moved by the same, into and out of engagement with the part to be locked, a curved slot in said latch-body, a notched, reciproeating fence working in said slot, a second curved slot branching from said firstnamed slot, a bolt working theren and engaging with a shoulder on said fence,whereby 'the latch-body may be Secured against either wall of the angular chamber, and means for reciprocating said fence.

4. In a lock, the combination with a lockbody, having an an gular chamber, of a latch- IOO IIO

body, pivotally seated in the angle of said chamber, and adapted tobe swung from wall to wall of said chamber, a latch borne by said latch-body and designed to be moved by the A same into and out of engage'ment with the part to be locked, a'curved slot in said latchbody, a notched, reciprocating fence working in said slot, a second cnrved slot, branching from said first-named slot, a bolt Working therei and engaging With a shoulder formed on said fence, whereby the latch-body may be Secured against eitherwall of the angular chamber, the tumbler-shaft provided with notched tumblers, engaging with the fence, the tubular shaft fitting on said tumbler-shaft, having notched tumblers also engaging with the fence, and permutation-dials on the ends of said shafts, outside the lockbody, 'through a slotin which the said shafts project or eXtend.

5. The combination with a bicycle-frame and a recessed steering-post, of a lock-body Secured thereto and having an angnlar chamber, a latch-body pivotally seated in the angle of said chamber, and adapted to be swung from wall to wall thereof, a latch borne by said latch-body and designed to be moved by the latch-body into and out of engagement with the recess in the steering-post, a reciprocating fence working in said latch body, a bolt also working in said latch-body and engaging With said fence, to secure the latch-body against either wall of the chamber, and means for reciproeating said fence.

6. The eombination with a bicyole-frame and a recessed steering-post, of a lock-body Secured thereto and having an angular chamber, a latch-body pivotally seated in the angle of said ehamber, and adapted to be swung from wall to Wall thereof, a latch borne by said latch-body and designed to be moved by the latch-body into and out of engagement with the recess in. the steering-post, a reeiprocating fence, Working in said latchbody, a bolt also :working in said 1atch-body and engagingwith said fence, to secure the latch-body against either wall of the chamber, the tumbler-shaft provided With notched tumblers, engaging with the fence, the tubular shaft fitting on said tumbler-shaft, having notched tnmblers also engaging with the fence, and dials on the outer ends of the said shafts, for reciprocating said fence, to move said latch into or out of engagement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

i JOHN R. HOUTS.

Witnesses:

ALLEN E. HILL, TENNEY Ross. 

